Patmos

After Ephesus, we took a cruise to the nearby island of Patmos. You may remember that this is where John the Apostle was exiled and where he wrote the book of the Revelation. What many don't realize is that he was not likely the only one exiled to this island, that it actually served as sort of a home for exiled enemies of Rome, somewhat like Australia did for the British Empire several centuries later. Here are some of the pics we took.

This cave is held by the Catholic church to be the location where John received the vision of the Revelation. Though this is a bit fanciful, it does serve to help you think about what it may have been like for John to write there as a prisoner.


Pictures are not allowed inside the cave, but our irreverent theology professor broke the rules! We're all glad he did, because we get to share them with you.


One of the things I loved at this point in the journey was all of the Greek writings that we found. It was a great way to practice what I learned in seminary, as well as to impress my bride. Below is the first chapter of Revelation as it appears in the Greek New Testament.


Here Dr. Vang and I are translating the inscriptions on a mosaic at St. John's monastery which depicts John the Apostle and Christodoulos, the monk who founded St. John's in the 5th century. The figure on the left is identified as "Saint John, the Theologian." The one on the right is "Saint Christodoulos." Christodoulos is clearly holding a copy of the book of Revelation.



Here we are just outside St. John's monastery.

Ephesus part 2

(Above is a sculpture of the Greek goddess, Nike)

Acts 19 describes Paul's ministry in Ephesus. He spent the first 3 months there teaching in the synagogue. Though the synagogue's ruins have not been identified, the menorah etched in the steps of the Library below may have pointed the way to the meeting place.

After being run out of the temple, Paul resorted to preaching in a lecture hall. Great crowds of people came to faith in Christ. The Gospel transformed the society so much that former socerers burned their books of magic and witchcraft; we are told the total cost of the books burned equaled 50,000 day's wages. About 60 years after Paul, one of the largest libraries of the time was built in Ephesus.

One of the key claims of Ephesus in the first century was its status as the home of Artemis the goddess of fertility.

In Acts 19, some of the craftsmen who made statues of Artemis became worried Paul's message would hurt their business, so they stirred up the city to riot. We are told that they all ran into the theater and shouted for 2 hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians."

This theater could seat 25,000. Its acoustics are incredible. I could speak on the stage in a normal voice, and you could clearly hear me on the last row.

Later, around 90 AD, Ephesus became a central stronghold of Imperial worship cults. These cults demanded that all people pledge allegiance "Caesar is Lord." Those who did not pledge would not be allowed to buy or sell in the province. It is widely believed by scholars that the Imperial cult is the beast out of the sea described in Revelation 13. Here are the remains of the Imperial Temple, established by Domitian.

Here is a statue of Domitian that was erected at the Imperial Temple. This is identified with the "image of the beast" described in Revelation13:14. Before it was broken, the whole statue supposedly was 21 feet tall. Historians record that mysterious activity surrounded the image. Many of our Christian brothers and sister died because they would not bow to this stone.


No doubt, Ephesus is one of the most fascinating places I have ever been. Imagine only being allowed to spend a few hours there! I feel a return trip on the horizon!

Ephesus

(Epic Library of Celsus, constructed 120AD, Ephesus)

One of the greatest ancient sites to go see in the world is Ephesus. Paul spent nearly 3 years at this coastal city, and the community was transformed by the Christian message. You can read about his experiences there in Acts 19, but before you do, check out some of these pictures. It really brings Paul's world to life. (I'm pointing to a Greek inscription that reads "Ephesus".)

Here we are on "government road." Unlike most cities of the time, Ephesus had two agoras (market place), one main agora and one primarily for the government and aristocracy. This road leads up to the government agora. You can see statues of Ephesian patrons and pillars lining both sides of the road.

We rarely think of advanced plumbing in the first century, but they had it here. First, you see the clay water pipes.

Then you see the public latrines, which featured constantly running water... automatic flushing.

And then you see the public bath house. The baths featured hot and cold water, and the "ruts" in the wall were actually chambers where steam was piped in to heat the room.

The wealthy patrons lived in rather large, multi-room homes with slaves and extended family. Here are some similar remaining homes built onto the base of the hill.


And here are the ornate insides of a typical wealthy Greco-Roman home. Notice the mosaics and the frescoes.

It is likely that many of the early house churches met in the homes of patrons similar to these. In particular, we know that Paul stayed at the home of Lydia in Acts 16.

That's all you get for now. I don't want to saturate your capacity to be wowed by this stuff, so you've got to come back on Wednesday for more. By the way, the best is yet to come!

Assos and Pergamum

From Troas we went down the coast to Assos, a port city just south of Troas a bit. Paul walked from Troas to Assos on his 3rd missionary journey, possibly to see people along the way or because he did not wish to sail that leg. A few remaining ruins can be seen of the city.




We then went down to Pergamum. This city was renowned for its production of parchment, a type of paper made from animal skins that was smoothed and dried. While likely more expensive than papyrus, parchment lasted longer and could be washed clean and reused. Pergamum was also one of the 7 churches address in Revelation.





"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13I know where you live—where Satan has his throne." Revelation 2:12-13

It is widely believed that "Satan's throne" refers to this temple of Zeus. Though we view Greek gods intriguing examples of mythological literature, the worship surrounding these gods was extremely vile and pagan. Our Christian brothers and sisters felt the oppression that came from opposing this part of their culture.


Here's a view of Pergamum from below. You can barely make out the large theater on the front side of the hill, and the temple of Zeus stood where the trees on the right side of the hill are now.

Journeys of Paul Trip- part 1

I apologize for not getting this up sooner. A couple weeks ago, Rebekah and I enjoyed the trip of a lifetime as we joined Palm Beach Atlantic University's Honors Study trip for a Journeys of Paul tour. One of my former Ouachita professors, Dr. Preben Vang, led the tour and was our connection for the trip. Our trip covered many of the key places that Paul visited on his second and third missionary journeys, along with a few other significant sites along the way.

We began in Istanbul and worked our way down the western coast of Turkey. Here are a few shots from Troas, where Paul received the Macedonian Vision in Acts 16:6-10.


Here I am overlooking the location of the ancient harbor Paul would have left to take the Gospel to Europe for the first time.


Notice the nice pile of broken pottery. Shards like this sometimes were used for jotting little notes or agreements.



No trip to Turkey is complete without experiencing Turkish coffee. Here's the before:

Here's the after:

Here's the reason why:

Yes, that's the silt-like coffee grinds. That little mug will go a long way! Check back Thursday for part 2.

The Athenian Way

Today I stood at the top of the Areopagus, the very site where Paul debated the philosophers of Athens. How cool is that? I also paid a Euro for one hour's worth of access to let all the fam back home know that I am still alive. So, with time left over, the Scottish blood in my veins won't allow me to waste these last few minutes. Hence, you get this post. I'll be doing a series of posts over this pilgrimage in the next few days.

Paradox of Faith

Among other things, one of the books I'm currently reading is a fascinating little study titled The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George G. Hunter III. In it, he reviews the missionary works of St. Patrick to Ireland, and to a lesser extent Columba's work in Scotland around the 5th century AD. He notes many of the significant contrasts between these mission efforts to the Celts and the approach taken by the Roman church in that time period and the following centuries. One key quote caught my eye and just begged to be shared on this blog, comparing Augustine's understanding of the human condition with that of Patrick.

"Augustine looked into his heart and found there the inexpressible anguish of each individual, which enabled him to articulate a theory of sin that has no equal- the dark side of Christianity. Patrick prayed, made peace with God, and then looked not only into his own heart but into the hearts of others. What he saw convinced him of the bright side- that even slave traders can turn into liberators, even murderers can act as peacemakers, even barbarians can take their place among the nobility of heaven."

Without both perspectives, we do not see the masterpiece of God's redemptive work. Instead, we only see a cheap cartoon.

Spring Stampede 2009

I'm a little late with this one, but better than never. On April 11 our singles ministry put on our second annual Spring Stampede Disc Golf Tournament. We do this to reach out to the disc golf crowd in our area, demonstrating God's abundant love with them and sharing our hope in Christ. This year we made a decision to move the tournament to a course that would prepare us for future growth. While we are continuing to learn how to do this better, it's always exciting to see how God blesses our efforts. The highlight of the day was the baptism of my friend, Eric, the first outdoor baptism I've done. Check out some picks of the day.